The group, which is based in Amstelveen, is planning to build a PR team
to service existing and new advertising clients - a move that follows
the appointment of the firm's first Netherlands PR chief.

Former Text 100 EMEA vice-president Corien Niezing joined
McCann-Erickson last month as PR director for the Netherlands-based
group, with an additional responsibility for creating a PR offering for
McCann-Erickson Advertising in the region.

Niezing said: 'We have realised clients are looking for integrated
campaigns rather than pure advertising or PR.

'So, alongside heading internal and external communications, my role is
also to set up a division within the advertising arm to offer a PR
service.'

Niezing hopes to draft in staff to build the team as the client-base
expands.

'I'd like to set up a team where we all have specialist expertise
covering corporate PR, government relations and consumer PR,' she
said.

Niezing is working on McCann Netherlands' first integrated campaign,
handling the PR element for ad client Barcardi Breezer.

The decision to create a PR arm is not set to roll out across McCann
globally - the business is part of the Interpublic Group, which owns the
world's largest PR agency, Weber Shandwick.

Niezing formerly worked for six months at the now-defunct MagicMinds
Communications, which closed last year.

Prior to that, she worked for six years at tech PR agency Text 100. She
launched Text 100's Amsterdam and Stockholm offices before being
promoted to EMEA vice-president, helping develop the agency's
international network.